need some reloading info?

S

scottycoyote

New member
is there a website out there or can someone tell me the different costs per shell to reload certain handgun calibers? I realise part of it would have to do with how large the bulk is you purchase....but just in general what does it cost to reload 38special, 357mag, 44special and 44 mag. On the 38 and 44special i would be looking to do it as cheaply as possible for practice and plinking
 
Reloading cost

With the staggering amount of components available at wide spread price points I'd think it would be prohibitive to have a complete cost per round estimator.
It would be easy to build a spread sheet where one could plug in the variables for a fairly accurate cost analysis.
 
Yes, there are several, but you still need to know the cost of your components.

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

Cost per round goes down with buying in bulk, but it depends on how many rounds you go thru. Most shooters will not buy 40 lbs of powder, 50,000 bullets, primers and cases at one time. If you save all your brass, then it is free as once fired. The most expensive component is bullets because they go by weight. I buy 1,000 coated 125gr 9mm's for $57 a thousand, 44 caliber would be much more, about $110 per thousand for coated, $320 for JHP's. Primers are the next cost, between $18 - $32 per thousand, depending on the brand. Powder is the least per unit cost, my 9mm load is 4.2 grains of TiteGroup which yields 13,330 rounds per 8 lb jug, 44 magnums can hold up to 29 grains of powder yielding 1,900 rounds per 8 lb jug. Powder cost can vary greatly depending on the brand. Magnum powders are slower burning higher volume meaning higher cost. That doesn't include the cost of a re-loader (single stage, turret, progressive), dies, tumbler, media, scale, calipers, etc, nor the cost of your time. If I earned $200 an hour, I would never reload, even running 20,000 rounds a year. If you only shoot 200 rounds a year, don't reload. My cost for 9mm is about $4.50 per box of 50, and on my progressives, takes about one hour for 6 boxes.

If you cast you own bullets, even greater savings, not including molds, swager, and casting pot.

If you are 2,000 rounds a year and make $28 an hour, start shopping.
 
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Not really, but the math isn't hard.

The only one that is remotely tricky is the powder. mainly because of the variation in charge weights for different powders, and the differing prices of powders. a 5 grain charge of a $25/lb powder will obviously give a different cost (1.7¢/round) than a 8 grain charge of a $35/lb powder (4¢/round).

But if you pick a powder and load, 7000 grains per pound of powder, figure out a rough average charge weight and work it out.

This is assuming that you have scrounged enough brass, and there is no cost added. If you need to buy brass, that raises the price considerably.

To get the most accurate estimate, you probably need to go to your local supplier of powder and primers and see what they carry and how much they charge.
 
If you are willing to shoot un-coated lead that will be the least expensive bullet.
Coated lead is maybe a penny more per round. My reloads cost .11 per round
.06-.07 bullet, .03 for a primer and .01 for powder.
8 lbs. powder $160 = 56000 grains 160 divided by 56000 = .0028 per grain of powder
 
For the average reloader and shooter, who buys powder by the pound, 500 to 1,000 lead or plated bullets, figure on spending about 60% of what the discount factory ammo costs.
More savings is easily possible as the previous replies have shown.
But use the above rule of thumb and you won't be disappointed.
Of course, you will have to figure in the cost of the equipment, and that can really get impressive - or not.
Self control is important. :):)
But the real bottom line in reloading is whether or not you enjoy making ammo.
Doing it just to hope to save money rarely turns out well.
It's its own hobby.
 
As the others said very well -- it varies WIDELY depending mostly on how much you are paying for components and exactly what kind of loads you intend to make. That's because the bullet is the most expensive part (in a handgun round, anyway) and the bullet is the biggest determining factor in what kind of ammo you hope to produce.

But a quick couple of shortcuts may help you as you ponder the idea...

First is that the cheaper and more popular the factory ammo is, the less advantage (money-wise) you have when you handload. The world's finest example may forever be 9mm. A good shopper can bring home a box of DECENT, name brand 9mm for around $12 a box if they find a decent sale. Now me, making fantastic 9mm, but buying a (ridiculous!) volume of my components in bulk to keep my costs down, can produce a box of ammo that I know for sure is as good/BETTER, and it costs me about $5.50.

Now .357, .44 Mag? .460 S&W Mag?! :eek:
Well, I can save a ridiculous pile of money because that ammo goes for a crazy price tag. Figure like $25 a box for .357. I see .44 Mag going for $35. :eek::D .460 Mag?! Let's not even go there. Okay... what it is, like $40 a box for 20rds?!

Now, keep in mind...
My costs are going to be lower than yours if you start because I buy components in bulk. Honestly, my costs are going to be lower than most folks posting here, except for the guys who cast their own slugs. Keeping costs down is a game and it's a game that I play because I can and it makes sense to me. So when I have the opportunity to buy bullets for a good price, I spend the kind of money on them that a lot of people couldn't possibly even justify spending for a new handgun.

The bottom line is that your "cost" for ammo will drop significantly if you jump in to handloading. The net result is almost 100% guaranteed, however, to be you spending more money handloading than you EVER did on ammo. It's natural, because you will make ammo and want (and need!) to shoot it, and you'll spend money on handloading tools and accessories, etc.

If you are on a shoe string budget, it may not be for you. But it is something I enjoy as much/more than shooting.
 
Here's the real secret, reloading doesn't save you any money at all, it just allows you to shoot more bullets for the same $$$.
 
I don't know of a website that specifically lists costs per cartridge.

Below are my costs (approximate), though very close to what I have already calculated/observed as my actual costs in materials (minus brass; I've never bought brass):

.38 spl: $6.00/50 rd. box
.357 mag: $8.50/50 rd. box
.44 spl: $8.00/50 rd. box
.44 mag: $11.50/50 rd. box

Probably you'd add about 20 cents per round if you had to buy brand new brass. However, in those calibers, if you don't consistently shoot maximum pressure rounds, you could probably get at least ten reloads out of every case (some people here have stated that they've reloaded cases for these calibers hundreds of times). Which would dramatically reduce your cost per load.

I buy 'hard' lead bullets from Missouri Bullet company for these calibers, which are slightly cheaper, instead of using plated/jacketed bullets. Figure about 9 cents a round, give or take a couple pennies, depending on caliber, and whether or not they are coated.

Primers are pretty consistent regardless of make and models; figure anywhere between 2.5-3.5 cents a round.

Powder can be a lot more variable. For example, I'm currently using IMR4227 for both .357 mag and .44 mag, which means I use a lot more powder per round than I would if I were using say Tightgroup. So, for .44 spl I'd use about 5 grains of TG, which is a bit over a penny of powder. However, I use about 24 grains of IMR4227 to make one .44 mag cartridge, which is around 10 cents of powder.

All of this is academic really, as another poster has already pointed out, if you only get into reloading to save money, you probably won't reload for very long. You really have to enjoy the process of reloading for its own sake to subject yourself to the basic tedium of it for more than a few weeks.

I reload to make premium quality bullets for the range and for hunting purposes. If I wanted to buy bullets of the same quality as I reload, I'd have to spend two to four times what my costs are reloading. So the reality is that's where I save money. Which I promptly spend by shooting more often.
 
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